Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 118 Uesugi Kagekatsu Misses His Father

The Red Guard is a military organization characterized by its members all wearing red tunics, and even flags and other indicators are red.

Because the red dye commonly used during Japan's Sengoku period was the expensive cinnabar, only the most powerful warriors in the household were generally allowed to wear red kizuka.

The Takeda clan's Red Guard was undoubtedly the absolute "top-tier" force during Japan's Sengoku period. From Iitomi Toramasa to Yamagata Masakage, two generations of Takeda clan generals directly made "Red Guard" a term exclusive to the Takeda clan.

In fact, wearing red kimonos does not automatically make one a "red-armored" person.

Red Guard is a combat mode, often used as a commando unit on the battlefield, and is a powerful weapon for breaking through enemy lines in the hands of daimyo.

Samurai who could become Red Guards were generally selected from brave men in their families, or the second or third sons of retainers who were not heirs. They were often fearless in battle and were among the elite of the elite.

Sanada Nobuyuki's desire to establish the Red Cavalry was not simply for amusement, but because Shinano was a horse-breeding region.

Although Shinshu horses are generally inferior to Oshu horses, they are one of the few resources that the Sanada family can utilize.

Having a sizable cavalry assault force under his command will undoubtedly be a great help to the Sanada family in future battles.

"The Red Guard is the Red Guard. We must show the Tokugawa clan which Red Guard is the true heir to the Takeda lineage!"

Without hesitation, Sanada Nobuyuki immediately summoned Kasuga no Yoshinada and instructed him to buy some cinnabar and contact nearby blacksmiths and leatherworkers to get the cavalry equipment ready.

Shinano is unlike Kai. During the time of Takeda Shingen, many lacquer trees were planted in Kai, and this lacquer could be used as a dye, while Shinano had very little of that and could only buy cinnabar.

Afterwards, Nobuyuki Sanada returned to Nakano-kan and began to draw sketches.

Since the goal was to establish the Red Army, it was natural to standardize the equipment of the cavalry. Soon, a complete outline of the Red Army's equipment was drawn up on paper.

"Is Lord Sanada Hyogo drawing a gozumi?"

Just as Nobuyuki Sanada was engrossed in his painting, a slightly aged voice rang in his ear.

Without even looking up, Sanada Nobuyuki knew who was speaking. In this Nakano-kan, besides Koyuki, only Hoshina Masatoshi had the freedom to enter and leave his study.

"Lord Tan Zhengzhong, what brings you here?"

"I just heard Genjiro say that he's planning something called the Red Guard. I had nothing better to do, so I came over to take a look." Hoshina Masatoshi walked over slowly with his cane and sat down.

The fact that he could still move around freely at over seventy years old impressed Nobuyuki Sanada.

"Lord Danjo, you should first help me improve the laws and regulations that the Takeda family has established."

“It’s been over a month already, we can’t delay any longer,” Nobuyuki Sanada said with a smile. Nobuyuki Sanada respected this old man who was on par with Yukitaka Sanada.

Previously, in order to create the National Sub-Country Law, Sanada Nobuyuki asked Sanada Masayuki for several people, including Hoshina Masatoshi.

After a month, the main content has been completed, and now all that remains is to perfect the old laws of the Takeda family, which is under the responsibility of Hoshina Masatoshi.

"The old man is getting on in years, and he sometimes forgets things; his memory is sometimes good and sometimes bad."

"Look, I was just thinking of something, but you interrupted me and I forgot it all," said Masatoshi Hoshina, leaning against the side with half-closed eyes, stroking his beard with an air of nonchalance.

Nobuyuki Sanada was also helpless against this old man.

In terms of seniority, he was a senior retainer of the Takeda clan during the same period as Sanada Yukitaka.

In terms of seniority, his grandson, Hoshina Masamitsu, is Sanada Nobuyuki's brother-in-law.

They couldn't afford to offend him at all, and Hoshina Masatoshi had a very good reputation in Shinano, being a person highly respected by the Shinano samurai.

However, Sanada Nobuyuki couldn't do anything about him, but someone else could.

"Since Lord Tan Zhengzhong has nothing to do, why don't I let Cai Zang come in and learn some military strategy from him again?"

Upon hearing Sanada Nobuyuki's words, Hoshina Masatoshi became so excited that he pulled out several hairs from his beard.

"Please don't, please don't."

"This guy is really good at training. My old arms and legs can't take any more of this."

Thinking back to when I first came to Nakano Castle, I don't know where Ke'er heard about Hoshina Masatoshi's reputation as "Dan-jō" (a nickname implying he was skilled in gun-making), and she insisted on coming to ask him for advice.

Hoshina Masatoshi was initially pleased, as it was a good thing that a young samurai was willing to learn from him.

But Ke'er's only stubbornness was that she would go to see Masatoshi Hoshina from morning till night, regardless of the time or place.

It's pitiful that an old man in his seventies had to get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs every day. Just thinking about it makes Masatoshi Hoshina feel horrified.

"Don't worry, I've already sent Saizo to train the foot soldiers."

"That's good, that's good," Hoshina Masatoshi replied, still shaken.

After saying that, without Sanada Nobuyuki needing to speak again, Hoshina Masatoshi picked up a pen and paper and began to record the former laws and regulations of the Takeda family.

The Takeda clan's "Koshu Laws and Regulations" are over forty years old, and much of its content is no longer suitable for the current situation in Shinano Province. The Sanada clan naturally couldn't simply copy its provisions, but as a provincial law that had been in effect in the Shinano region for decades, it still holds significant reference value.

Hoshina Masatoshi wrote very slowly, and Sanada Nobuyuki was not in a hurry to urge him.

Midway through, Sanada Nobuyuki went to see Kasuga Yoshitada and handed him the completed blueprints.

It wasn't until almost dark that Masatoshi Hoshina finally wrote down everything. There were dozens of scattered entries in total.

After having Hoshina Masatoshi helped back to his room to rest, Sanada Nobuyuki planned to work late into the night to quickly organize the useful information.

Dinner was brought over by Xiaoxing. After learning that Sanada Nobuyuki would be busy until very late, Xiaoxing consciously went to sleep alone.

The night passed quickly, and before we knew it, dawn had broken.

Nobuyuki Sanada finally copied down all the points he thought were useful, which were divided into four points in total:

1. Litigation.

The core idea is that "noise leads to both success and failure."

The rule is that a quarrel leads to both sides losing. Regardless of the cause, if a dispute between two parties leads to a fight, both parties involved in the fight will be punished.

The advantage of this is that it minimizes private feuds among the people, so that when disputes arise, the people will seek the judgment of the Takeda family as soon as possible. This will gradually establish the Takeda family's absolute influence in the territory.

2. Religious aspects.

The Takeda family laws explicitly prohibited conflict and debate between different religions (specifically Nichiren and Jodo sects), a measure intended to prevent the Ikko-ikki uprising. 3. Land ownership was clearly defined.

This law strictly prohibited local people and local servants from arbitrarily disposing of farmers' land under the pretext of "a certain crime," and clearly stipulated that the entire territory should be directly governed by the Takeda clan. At the same time, the law also prohibited local people and local servants from arbitrarily depriving farmers of their farmland, thereby protecting the farmers' legitimate rights and interests.

This measure ensures that the Takeda family has sole control over the land in their territory; that is, all the land belongs to the Takeda family, and only the Takeda family has the right to allocate and dispose of it.

4. Diplomatic control.

The Takeda clan stipulated that retainers and local lords were forbidden from having private correspondence with other powers. Furthermore, retainers and local lords could not sign contracts without the permission of the daimyo, in order to prevent collusion and other such phenomena.

Of the dozens of options, Nobuyuki Sanada only selected the four mentioned above that could be implemented.

Of course, the Sanada family's division of the country law could not have only these four articles. The other articles had already been completed by Kawahara Tsunaie, Ashida Nobuban, Yazawa Yoritsuna, and others, and were just waiting for Sanada Nobuyuki to make the final summary.

Originally, Sanada Nobuyuki planned to take these articles directly to Toishi Castle to find Sanada Masayuki, but a shocking piece of news soon came from Echigo—the Uesugi family had a huge problem.

Just a few days earlier, Uesugi Kagekatsu led an army of 18,000 to attack Niihada Shigeie, but they encountered a torrential rain on the way, leaving the land muddy. The Uesugi army was thrown into serious chaos by the rain and the wetlands, and Niihada Shigeie seized the opportunity to launch an attack (Battle of Hosei-bashi).

In the chaos of battle, Uesugi Kagekatsu was nearly captured alive. Meanwhile, key retainers of the Uesugi clan, including Mizuhara Mitsuke, the head of the Mizuhara clan in the northern region, were killed in action, and Yasuda Yoshimoto, serving as the rearguard, was crippled in one leg.

Uesugi Kagekatsu, having suffered heavy losses, fled back to Kasugayama Castle in a sorry state, while Niihada Shigeie seized the opportunity to occupy a large area of ​​territory.

After receiving the information, Nobuyuki Sanada was speechless.

However, after making a sarcastic remark about Uesugi Kagekatsu, Sanada Nobuyuki suddenly became happy again.

If the Uesugi family had not quelled the rebellion of Shigeie Niibata, they would have had to keep stockpiling military supplies and continue to find ways to make money, and then the trade activities in Nakano Castle would have continued to prosper.

This is actually a good thing for the Sanada family.

"My lord, a man claiming to be from the Takanashi clan is requesting an audience outside the city," Suzuki Kotaro reported at the gate.

Nobuyuki Sanada nodded, then had Kotaro Suzuki bring the person in.

The visitor was none other than Yoriichi Takanashi.

"I am Takanashi Yorichika, greetings to Lord Sanada Hyōgo-no-ga." When faced with a legitimate official post conferred by the imperial court, Takanashi Yorichika dared not flaunt his self-proclaimed title of Junior Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

"Lord Takanashi, please don't stand on ceremony. In fact, Yuki and I should call you uncle." Sanada Nobuyuki warmly invited Takanashi Yorichika to sit down.

Takanashi Yorichika dared not presume upon his status; the Sanada family was now on par with the Uesugi family, and he dared not act rashly.

To be honest, he also felt some regret.

If he had known that the Sanada family would be where they are today, he would never have gone to Echigo. With Koyuki's connection, wouldn't his Takanashi family have been able to achieve a position as a family and hereditary successor in the future?

"Lord Hyogo, it is a pleasure for me to visit Nakano Castle today."

"It's truly admirable that the once dilapidated Nakano Castle could be transformed so completely under the leadership of Lord Hyogo." Nakano Castle was the former residence of the Takanashi clan, and the two trees at the entrance were planted by his father, Takanashi Masayori.

Nobuyuki Sanada waved his hand, then inquired about Yoriichika Takanashi's purpose in coming.

Yoriichika Takanashi sighed, "Ah. This is a long story."

"Lord Hyogo must have heard about the battle at Hosho Bridge a few days ago, right?"

Sanada Nobuyuki nodded hurriedly. At this moment, it wasn't just Shinano, but probably the news had spread throughout Kanto as well. Hojo might take action soon. These were all chain reactions, and Sanada Nobuyuki was quite helpless.

"I also participated in this battle, but fortunately I was far away, otherwise I'm afraid I would have died there too."

"After returning to Kasugayama Castle, the lord wanted to stabilize the morale of the army, so he prepared to rebuild the temple," Takanashi Yorichika said slowly.

Sanada Nobuyuki looked at Takanashi Yorichika with a puzzled expression. What does it have to do with you coming to Nakano Castle to find me? What temple does Uesugi Kagekatsu want to build?
Surely Uesugi Kagekatsu isn't here to borrow money from me, is he?

"Lord Hyogo, please don't misunderstand." As if sensing Sanada Nobuyuki's worry, Takanashi Yorichika quickly explained, "There used to be a Rinzai sect temple called Tennan-ji five or six miles outside the castle, which was destroyed during the Battle of Kawanakajima."

"My lord intends to rebuild this temple and convert it to the Caodong sect in order to commemorate the achievements of Lord Kenshin."

After hearing this, Sanada Nobuyuki understood: Uesugi Kagekatsu was missing his father.

When Uesugi Kagekatsu suffered a crushing defeat at the Shōsei Bridge, the image of the invincible Echigo Dragon from back then probably flashed through his mind.
"So, the temple that Lord Uesugi is planning to build is located outside the city?"

“Exactly, otherwise this matter wouldn’t be my responsibility, would it?” Takanashi Yorichika said with a helpless expression.

Having been under the Uesugi family's protection for over a year, he hasn't received many benefits, and now he even has to pay for the temple's repairs. Takanashi Yorichika is practically going crazy.

The Shinano samurai who joined the Uesugi clan with him, Suda Mitsukachi from the neighboring Suda clan, has now become the person in charge of diplomatic negotiations between the Uesugi and Hashiba clans, and Suda Mitsukachi is also in full charge of the Echigo-no-Chu campaign against Sasa Narimasa.

In contrast, although the Takanashi clan also had a fief of 2000 koku, their fief had been taken over by Shigeie Niihata after the Battle of Hosei-bashi.

It's like Takanashi Yorichika is now working on a loan, not only without receiving a penny, but also having to pay out of his own pocket to help Uesugi Kagekatsu repair the temple for Uesugi Kenshin.

This was truly a difficult situation, and Sanada Nobuyuki couldn't help but show a look of sympathy.

Sanada Nobuyuki's attitude only made things worse. Takanashi Yorichika felt even angrier when he felt Sanada Nobuyuki's gaze. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was a huge victim of injustice.

"Lord Takanashi, given the relationship between our two families, please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help with the temple's reconstruction."

"I will definitely help if I can."

Yoriki Takanashi opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately did not open it.

Just then, Xiaoxing walked in from outside.

"I heard from Kotaro that someone from the Takanashi family has come. I immediately guessed it was my uncle. It's been a long time since I've seen him." After entering the house, Koyuki greeted Takanashi Yoriichi warmly.

After Sanada Nobutsuna's death in battle, Koyuki briefly lived with the Takanashi family, so she was quite familiar with Takanashi Yorichika. Takanashi Yorichika, as the youngest son of Takanashi Masayori, was only in his early twenties, not much older than Koyuki.

"Sachi, I didn't expect you to have grown so much in just a few years." Yorichika Takanashi's expression softened slightly when he saw Sachi.

"I overheard you talking about helping each other outside. Is Uncle in some kind of trouble?" Xiaoxing looked at Gaoli Yichichi with curiosity and concern in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Yoriichi Takanashi raised his head and said hesitantly, "I wasn't planning to say it, but since Sachi is here, I'll have to be shameless this once."

"I wonder... if the Takanashi clan is willing to return to Shinano, would the Sanada family be willing to give us a chance to serve them?"

(End of this chapter)